‘What
I happening to our life nowadays ? Why is Rekha avoiding me? She has been a
dutiful wife always attending to me. She used to shower me with care and love.
But recently there is a change in her
behaviour’. – Rahul thought. He watched the beautiful face of his wife. She
smiled in sleep and her face lit up with a new charm. He remembered that
nowadays Rekha spends a lot of time in make-up. Whenever Rahul mention about an
evening out or dinner at some hotel she tries to find excuses. Of late, her
telephone is also engaged for quite a longtime. Rahul blamed himself. ‘Why
should I suspect my wife? She must be speaking to her friends from ladies club.
She must be innocent. Of course I am not getting enough time to look after her
due to various commitments in office’.

He
took his briefcase and rushed to the office.

“Hello
Rahul, How are you?”- It was (Mrs) Kulkarni, their neighbour.

“Fine,
thank you. Is Mr. Kulkarni at home?”

“No,
he has gone out for Chintu’s admission to school. By the way, how is your
cousin brother? He is not seen now a days?”

Rahul
stopped on the way hearing the words of (Mrs) Kulkarni. “Cousin brother? I
don’t have any cousin brother.”

“Don’t
tell me that you forgot him. Your wife introduced me to him. The handsome young
man who takes your wife out on his motorcycle, when ever you go out of station
on official tour”

Rahul
tried to control his reaction. He was
shocked to hear the news of a new character in his life. Is he Rekha’s lover?
He must be the cause of the new charm on the radiant face of Rekha. A girl in
love becomes more beautiful. He remembered the blush on her face and the dimple
on her cheeks when she smiles.

“Sorry
(Mrs) Kulkarni. I forgot about him. In fact I am getting late for the office
and that is why I answered like that. Let me hurry up, see you, bye”

Rahul
started his car. While driving he could not concentrate on the road.

He
remembered their love marriage and how he loved Rekha

with his heart and soul. ‘How could Rekha do
this to me? After all, I never denied her anything. I gave her everything which
a lady needs – a good house, lot of money, and a loving husband. What more does
she want?’

Rahul
tried to control the steering wheel avoiding hitting a vehicle coming from the
opposite direction.

‘I
must put an end to this. She can’t do this to me. I will try to catch her redhanded
– Then I will kill her, the bitch! My heart is burning with grief and the bitch
is enjoying life’- Rahul thought.

The
next day morning he came back to his house from his office. Instead of going
inside the house he watched the house from a hidden corner behind the bushes.
Around 10 O’clock in the
morning he was surprised to see his wife going along with a handsome young man
on a motorcycle. She was clinging to him and giggling like a newlywed woman. He
suppressed his anger and made plans for his future action.

“Rekha,
I am going on an official tour”. He told her during dinner.

“Tomorrow
I am going to Pune. I will catch the Mumbai – Pune Express in the evening. So
don’t make any dinner for me. I will be back only after a week. Take care. And
try to keep in touch,

darling! You can always call me when you have
any problem. I will be there for you, Ok?” Rahul smiled and embraced his wife.
He was seething with anger inside but tried to act like a doting husband.

The
next day Rahul caught the Mumbai – Pune Express at 7 O’clock in the evening. After one hour, he got
down at a local station. He came out of the Railway station and approached a
taxi driver. He requested the taxi driver to take him to his house in Mumbai as
soon as possible. Rahul gave him plenty of money as taxi charge. So the driver
was too happy to take him and wait out side his house. It was raining heavily
when Rahul reached his house. He got down and entered the house through the
kitchen using the duplicate key. He remembered how he used to enter the house
through the kitchen when he comes back late after some parties. He went inside
the drawing room and took the staircase to the bedroom on first floor.

Rahul
saw his wife sleeping peacefully. When he thought about her
infidelity, he became mad
with anger . Taking out the dagger he stabbed her to death. After that he scattered the
house hold items here and there just to create an impression that some robber
did the crime. Rahul changed his shoes as they were soaked with mud. He kept
them in his room. He came back and took the same taxi. He requested the driver
to go at double speed to catch the train at next station. The driver wondered
about what is happening.

But he was too happy with the money paid to him
that he did not bother about the passenger. Rahul managed to catch the train to
Pune.

The
next day the murder was noticed by the maid servant. She informed the police.
She also rang up Rahul at Pune and requested him to come as soon as possible.
When Rahul reached home the house was crowded with neighbours and police.

Arun
Nambiar, the famous detective was inspecting the scene. He had a good police
dog with him. Rahul entered the drawing room. He suddenly broke down into tears
seeing his wife’s dead body. “Oh Rekha!, I can’t bear this. Who did this to
you? I love you so much. Please don’t leave me alone. Take me also along with
you. Oh God! How can I live without my Rekha”

Arun
Nambiar carefully observed the husband.

“I’m
sorry Mr. Rahul. But where were you last night when the crime took place?”

“I
was in Pune. I went on an official tour”.

“When
did you go to Pune?”

“I
went by the Mumbai – Pune Express at 7
O’clock in the evening yesterday. Oh God! I didn’t know that this
will happen to my Rekha”.

“OK
Mr Rahul, we are really sorry . We should take her body for postmortem.”

Rahul
acted like a loving husband who got shocked to see his wife murdered.

Somewhere
in his mind Arun Nambiar had a slight doubt about Rahul. Somehow he could not
convince himself that Rahul is innocent.

After
smelling the dead body the police dog went straightaway to Rahul’s room. It
started barking near the mud-soaked shoes.

‘Whose
shoes are these?’ Arun asked . “Oh they
are my shoes”. Rahul replied. Arun Nambiar took them alongwith him to the
police station.

Rahul was upset with the sudden turn
of events. But he reassured himself that he could not be proved to be the
murderer . Rahul had a good alibi. He was in Pune last night .

Arun
Nambiar was also thinking the same. Rahul was in Pune last night. In fact he
showed the train ticket also. Arun checked with the hotel in Pune and confirmed
that Rahul stayed there over night. But the case is making him more and more
confused. How could the husband commit a crime like this?

Arun
came to know from (Mrs) Kuilkarni that one young man used to take Rakha on his
motor cycle when Rahul is away. Arun
Nambiar realized that this is a case of extramarital affair. There is strong
possibility of Rahul being the murderer. ‘But how to prove the crime? With a
good alibi and strong proof in favour of him, how can I arrest him?’ Arun
thought.

He
tried to think about the minute details of the case. ‘This case is like a
puzzle. I should keep all the pieces in such a way that proper picture is
formed’. Suddenly he remembered about the mud soaked shoes of Rahul. He
remembered how the police dog sniffed the shoes and started barking.

Arun
remembered that it rained heavily last
night. So Rahul must have come home in the rains last night. But how is it
possible when he claims to be in Pune?Arun Nambiar analysed all possibilities
in his mind. All of a sudden, a thought flashed in his mind. Could it be
possible that Rahul took a taxi and came to his house?

Arun
rushed to the Taxi stand and tried to question all taxi drivers. One of them
identified the photograph of Rahul. The driver narrated the whole
incident. He explained how he brought
Rahul home from a local station and how they caught the train from the next
station. The driver told specifically that he waited outside his

house for about half an hour and it was raining
heavily that time.

Arun Nambiar was much excited about
his new discovery. He arrested the killer – Rahul. Sobbing with guilt, Rahul
confessed his crime – “The perfect murder” of his wife. ‘Not so perfect’ –
chuckled Arun Nambiar who was a genius in his profession.